(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing system including an issuing terminal for issuing entrance permits, a service center and an image forming apparatus connected to the image issuing terminal and the service center.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Recently, digital multifunctional machines having scanner, facsimile and other functions in addition to the copier function have been known. During usage of a digital multifunctional machine, various kinds of anomaly conditions (errors) may occur. Examples of such errors include so-called paper jam or recording sheets becoming jammed inside the machine, toner end, and others.
At such cases, the digital multifunctional machine notifies the user of the occurrence of the anomaly condition. The user takes measures depending on the type of the error indicated to restore the digital multifunctional machine into the functional state.
However, there are cases the user cannot deal with, depending on the types of anomaly conditions. For example, a condition in which it becomes impossible to perform printing to the recording paper due to abnormal increase in the temperature of the fixing unit and another condition in which it become impossible to perform image reading due to malfunction of the CCD (charge coupled device) sensor inside the digital multifunctional machine apply to this case.
In general, when an anomaly condition that the user cannot handle has occurred, the user makes contact (a so-called service call) with the service center. After receiving a service call, the service center sends an engineer (service person) to the place where the digital multifunctional machine is installed to repair the machine.
Here, in companies and the like, it is a usual practice that all the people who enter or leave the company compound are checked and managed for security reasons. In general, an entrance management section such as a guardhouse or the like is placed at the entrance of the building or compound. When a visitor gives the destination of the visit, visit purpose and the like at the entrance management section, the visitor is issued with an entrance permit so as to be able to enter the building or compound.
Concerning such entrance management, there have been known technologies to control the visitors in a centralized manner using computers (e.g., see patent documents 1, 2 and 3 below).
Patent document 1:                Japanese Patent Application Laid-open 2006-222741        
Patent document 2:                Japanese Patent Application Laid-open 2004-86316        
Patent document 3:                Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Hei 11-202929.        
When a service person visits a company etc., to repair a digital multifunctional machine as stated above, he/she visits the entrance management section such as guardhouse first, and gives his/her identity, the destination of the visit, visit purpose, etc. The entrance management section checks whether the service person has been scheduled to visit, and creates an entrance permit if he/she has been scheduled to come and gives the permit to him/her.
On the other hand, when the user of the digital multifunctional machine did not notify the entrance management section of the visit of the service person, the entrance management section makes an inquiry about the visiting service person to the user.
Then, the service person goes to the place where the digital multifunctional machine is installed based on the entrance permit, and then after completion of maintenance work, he/she needs to return to the entrance management section to report his/her leaving.
In the above way, if a service person visits a company in order to carry out the maintenance of a digital multifunctional machine, complex procedures need to be done until he/she obtains the entrance permit. Accordingly, there has been the problem that the service person cannot start maintenance work smoothly and promptly.
In particular, when the entrance management section has not been notified after a machine malfunction occurred, it could sometimes take a long time to obtain confirmation, hence a further time would be needed to start the maintenance work. Further, there occurs a time lag from the occurrence of a machine malfunction to when the service center and entrance management section receive its report. For these reasons, there has been the problem that the state of malfunction of the digital multifunctional machine becomes longer and the working ratio of the machine is lowered.